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When Eugenie Bouchard’s name was picked during Saturday’s official draw for the Rogers Cup tournament, there were cheers from the gathered fans. Then they held their breath as the next name — her first opponent — was drawn.

“Come on, pick a qualifier,” said one fan, giving voice to the hopes of many that the 19-year-old Canadian would face a relatively easy foe in the first round, which starts Monday at the Rexall Centre.

Bouchard, the youngest player in the main draw, will face Alisa Kleybanova. The Russian is ranked No. 602 in the world, but that’s because she’s just returned to the tour after battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2011. Before that, the 23-year-old was ranked 20th with two WTA titles under her belt.

At No. 58, Bouchard is Canada’s top female player and the nation’s big hope to match the kind of success Milos Raonic, now 13th, has had on the men’s tour.

“She’s a great player,” world No. 1 Serena Williams, seeded first for the Rogers Cup, said in a recent press conference. “She’s had amazing results. She’s extremely young. She’s great for Canadian and North American tennis.”

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The top eight seeds receive byes into the second round.

The other two Canadians in the main draw, Toronto’s Sharon Fichman (119th) and Laval’s Stephanie Dubois (163rd), will play each other in the opening round.

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